Boris Johnson confirms shops, gyms and salons will reopen in England under tough new Tier system

23 November 2020, 16:05 | Updated: 23 November 2020, 16:23

Boris Johnson - "I can't say Christmas will be normal"

The national lockdown will be replaced with a Tier system on December 2.

Boris Johnson has confirmed the all new tier system for England as the country comes out of lockdown on December 2.

The Prime Minister addressed the House of Commons today (Monday 23), where he revealed all non essential shops will be allowed to open again.

Gyms will also re-open, as well as salons and leisure centres.

Collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports can also resume, and people will no longer be limited to seeing one other person outdoors, as the rule of six returns.

But under the tough new tier system, the PM also confirmed the hospitality sector will be hit hardest, with many hotels, pubs and restaurants forced to stay closed.

Read More: What are the new tier rules after lockdown in England?

While they will be allowed to reopen in the two lowest tiers, for regions which are in tier three, sales are restricted to take-aways and delivery.

The curfew for hospitality has been slightly changed, with closing times tweaked from 10pm to 11pm.

Also under tier 2, alcohol must only be served as part of a substantial meal in pubs and restaurants.

The PM confirmed regions will find out which Tier they fall under later this week on Thursday (November 26).

Addressing the House of Commons he said: “This will be, still, a hard winter.

“Christmas cannot be more than a long road to spring, but we have turned a corner and the escape route is in sight.”

“So we're not going to replace national measures with a free for all, the status quo anti-Covid, we're going to go back instead to a regional tiered approach - applying the toughest measures where Covid is most prevalent.

“And while the previous local tiers did cut the 'R' number, they were not quite enough to reduce it below one.

"So the scientific advice, I'm afraid, is that as we come out our tiers need to be made tougher."

Elsewhere in his announcement, Mr Johnson also revealed he will be setting out 'relaxed rules' over the Christmas period later this week.

He said: "Working with the devolved governments, we are looking at a time limited relaxation embracing all the UK.

"But this virus is not going to grant a Christmas truce, so families will need to make a careful judgement about risk."